Wrath of Man is a 2021 action thriller heist film directed by Guy Ritchie, from a script he co-wrote with Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies, and is loosely based on the 2004 French film Cash Truck by Nicolas Boukhrief. It is Ritchie’s fourth directorial collaboration with lead actor Jason Statham, and first since Revolver (2005). Statham stars as H, a new cash truck driver in Los Angeles who thwarts a robbery only to have his mysterious past begin to get questioned. Holt McCallany, Jeffrey Donovan, Chris Reilly, Josh Hartnett, Laz Alonso, Raúl Castillo, DeObia Oparei, Eddie Marsan, and Scott Eastwood also star.

Plot

The movie is separated into four parts, each chapter circling back to one main event that sets off a chain reaction. Beginning with “A Dark Spirit,” an armoured truck is robbed by heavily armed individuals dressed as construction workers. Two guards and a civilian are killed during the robbery.

Five months after the robbery, a mysterious Patrick Hill applies to Fortico Security, an armoured truck company. In his interview, his soon-to-be superior, Terry, commends him for his references and warns him of the robbery. Hill is then introduced to Bullet, who nicknames him “H” and oversees his training and qualifying tests. “H” barely manages to pass the tests and gets off to a rocky start with his new colleagues, particularly “Boy Sweat” Dave. On his first official training day, “H,” Dave, and “Bullet” are assigned to the same pickup. Dave, who has a “we are the prey” attitude about the job, tells “H” more about the robbery where guards were killed. He reveals that he was supposed to drive the truck but had called in sick that day.

During a training pickup, “Bullet” is taken hostage, and the kidnappers demand the $2 million in their truck. Dave panics, but “H” convinces him to drive to save “Bullet.” When “H” and Dave meet the kidnappers, “H” quickly disposes of them with expert marksmanship, despite his mediocre shooting skills from his qualification tests. The police investigators assigned to the robbery question “H” about his true abilities against his training. Then they ask him to watch security footage of the previously mentioned robbery to see if he thinks the two crimes are connected. “H” denies the connection and is released back to Terry. Terry tries to give “H” desk duty for a month in case of PTSD until the CEO of Fortico comes to personally thank “H,” allowing him to continue work in the field.

The police investigators later identify “H” to their superior, FBI Agent King, as someone the Bureau had been looking for 25 years. However, King tells them to let “H” off the hook and “let the painter paint.” As a result of the attempted robbery, many of “H”‘s coworkers now believe him to be a hero. In what appears to be his hotel room later that night, “H” is visited by a woman who gives him Fortico employee files, photos of coworker Dana Curtis’ family, and an autopsy report. “H” reviews a copy of the robbery footage shown to him by the police investigators.

In a later routine pickup with just “H” and “Bullet,” the truck is attacked again. “H” faces the robbers after they flood the armored truck with tear gas, and they quickly retreat after one of the robbers sees “H”‘s face. Terry doesn’t believe his story, thinking him to now be a psychopath. The Fortico CEO, however, commends “H” once again and sends him on his way. “H” later sleeps with Dana and holds her at gunpoint to interrogate her about a private cash stash he finds. She claims she stole money once from a liquor store for retirement savings. “H” spares her life but threatens further repercussions if he learns she is withholding other information.

The second part, titled “Scorched Earth,” begins with a flashback five months earlier. “H” is out with his son Dougie when he reluctantly agrees to a work call asking him to help with the recon of an armoured truck route. “H” makes an excuse to get some burritos at a food truck and stops on the other side of the bridge from the Fortico depot. Dougie stays in the car while he goes out. While waiting by the food truck, “H” calls his underling to confirm the truck’s route. As the armored truck goes under the bridge, it is attacked by the disguised and heavily armed construction workers, who kill the guards for trying to fight back as well as Dougie for witnessing Jan’s face. When “H” runs toward them, he is gunned down as well but survives. Three weeks later, “H” wakes up in a hospital after life-saving surgery and learns of his son’s death. He is in complete shock, showing little emotion, even when his wife claims their son’s death was his fault and leaves him.

“H” meets up with FBI Agent King and requests intel. King has a list of possible suspects that the FBI is also looking into, unsure of who “H” is looking for. King tells “H” he can do what he likes, but to consider he can only turn a blind eye for so long. “H” is then revealed to be Mason Hargreaves, the boss of a crime syndicate. His syndicate’s direct underlings – Mike, Brendan, and Moggy – are the men who will make the second attack on “H’s” cash truck. “H” demands to find the specific face responsible for killing Dougie. His men claim they’ve already begun searching, scorching the earth for justice, but have yet to find the culprit. After exhausting their list of suspects and coming up with no possible leads, leaving carnage in their wake, Mike suggests that the robbery was an inside job. “H,” says he will fly back to London to clear his mind. Instead, he arranges a local contact, Kirsty, to provide him with the forged identity of Patrick Hill, put him up in a hotel, and locate the autopsy report of Dougie’s death.

In the third part, “Bad Animals, Bad,” we meet a bored former military platoon consisting of Carlos, Sam, Brad, Tom, and Jan, commanded by their platoon leader Jackson. Struggling to make ends meet, most unemployed or working underpaid jobs, the group decides to start stealing money in increasingly ambitious heists. The heists are planned in great detail by Jackson and Tom, while maintaining the façade of ordinary lives with families, except for Jan; he appears to be the black sheep of the group, showing little respect for Jackson and complaining about everything from how the money is divided to what they can purchase with their shares. The first attempt to steal from a wealthy man for whom Carlos works as security comes up with only a few hundred thousand dollars. They then resolve to utilize contacts in armoured truck companies to steal millions of dollars. Each heist comes with increasing wealth and costs. When they perform the Fortico heist, Jan is revealed to be the one that kills the guards and Dougie against the wishes of the rest of the team.

The last part, titled “Lungs, Liver, Spleen, Heart,” is set back in the present. Jackson and Tom bring the team together for a much larger but riskier final heist to steal over $150 million from the Fortico depot on Black Friday. “H” and “Bullet” are riding together when “Bullet” reveals he is the thieves’ insider and asks “H” to cooperate to avoid death. Four of the thieves, dressed in full body armour, hide in the truck to gain access into the depot while Jackson and Tom take a black vehicle behind them. Their goal is to keep the scene drama-free, open the gate to let Jackson’s vehicle in, and empty the depot before SWAT arrives 8 minutes later. Once the hostage cash truck successfully enters the depot, they take hostages, including Terry and Dave. Dana and two other workers named Stuart and Shirley are in the back of another truck, unaware of the situation beyond them. The thieves demand the gate be opened, but one worker, John, triggers the alarm. The workers behind the weapons desk begin shooting at the thieves but are quickly subdued. They let Jackson and Tom in and start taking the money. Dana and Stuart have called the cops now, but Shirley can’t stay hidden and decides to start shooting despite protests from the others.

In the commotion, “H” chokes Carlos out and frees Terry and Dave. He takes Carlos’s body armour to fight back, inspiring Dave to do the same while Terry hides. Realizing they may not make it out, “Bullet” breaks his cover and shoots Dave, Dana, and the remaining guards. He shoots “H” last and leaves him to die. “Bullet,” Jackson, and Jan are the only ones to make it out of the depot, though Jackson is critically wounded. They evade police and make it to a garage where they have access to underground tunnels. Believing Jan will try to kill them, Jackson takes out a pistol, but Jan stops him and slits his throat. When Jan and “Bullet” make it to the end of the tunnel, “Bullet” takes out a gun to kill Jan, but Jan kills him first. Jan successfully makes away with all the money before the police can deduce what happened.

At the apartment, Jan finds a phone ringing in one of the money bags, which was planted there by “H” to track his location. “H” confronts Jan with Dougie’s autopsy report before shooting him in the same places Dougie was shot. “H” turns in the money to his FBI contact and drives off with Mike.

Release

The film was released internationally in several countries, beginning on April 22, 2021, including Russia, New Zealand, Australia and Taiwan. It was later released in the United States on May 7, 2021. It is set to be released in China on May 10. The film was originally set for release in the United States on January 15, but was pulled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was later rescheduled for April 23,before being pushed to May 7.

Home media
The film was released on Blu-ray and DVD on July 13, 2021, by MGM Home Entertainment through Warner Bros. Home Entertainment